How do you charter a yacht with 13, 16 or even 20 guests?
Depending on the location, your best answer may be a tandem charter, also known as a flotilla.
If you've been searching for one yacht for your entire group, you've probably already discovered the problem: most crewed charter yachts are legally limited to a maximum of 12 guests. It's a maritime law, not a yacht capacity issue, which is why booking a bigger yacht doesn't necessarily fix it.
A 150-foot yacht with 8 cabins can still be limited to the same 12 guests as a much smaller catamaran due to maritime regulations. The limit is based on how the yacht is registered and certified, not simply its size or how many beds it appears to have.
There are exceptions. In destinations such as Croatia, Greece (a few), Turkey and the Maldives, there are yachts specifically certified to accommodate 13, 16, 20 or even 30+ guests.
But that doesn't mean you should choose your destination based solely on where you can find one yacht big enough for everyone to be on board together. So don't start uninviting family members or assume you have to give up on your top choice destination, whether it be the Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Greece, Italy or wherever the sea is calling you.
Let's talk about tandem/flotilla charters and break down all the nuances.
What Is a Tandem Yacht Charter?
A tandem charter means booking two or more crewed yachts that travel together on the same general itinerary.
Each yacht has its own captain, chef, crew and guest cabins, but the crews coordinate the week so it feels like one shared vacation.
The yachts can cruise together, anchor in the same bays and plan activities around the entire group.
You might all meet ashore for snorkeling, an excursion or a beach barbecue. You can coordinate dinners at the same restaurant, meet for cocktails at anchor or spend an afternoon together at a beach club or beach bar.
When conditions and local regulations allow, the yachts may even be able to raft together, meaning they tie up side by side.
It's essentially your own private floating neighborhood, except everyone has a chef and there's no homeowners association.
And a tandem doesn't have to mean just two yachts. If you have an especially large group, we can coordinate 4, 6, 8 or more yachts traveling together and create your own private flotilla.
Can All 16 or 20 Guests Hang Out on One Yacht?
This is an important distinction. Booking two yachts does not mean that all 16 or 20 guests can simply pile onto one yacht whenever they want. Depending on the yachts, crews, local regulations and conditions, you may also be able to coordinate water toys and activities between the yachts.
In fact, having multiple yachts can potentially give your group access to an even bigger collection of water toys. Maybe one yacht has the better selection of paddleboards and kayaks while the other has Seabobs or efoils that everyone is excited to use.
What About Meals?
Even on a tandem charter, you will generally eat your onboard meals on the yacht you are staying on.
There are practical reasons for this. Each chef creates a menu for their group on board their vessel, planned around individual preferences, allergies, dietary restrictions and the amount of food and service their galley can accommodate.
Trying to serve dinner for 18 people from a yacht designed to serve eight guests isn't necessarily practical. But there are plenty of opportunities to eat together.
The group can coordinate restaurant reservations, beach barbecues, lunches ashore and other experiences throughout the itinerary. You can also meet for cocktails or after-dinner drinks. The goal isn't to put 20 people on one yacht for a week. It's to create one shared vacation across multiple yachts.
Two Yachts Can Actually Be More Fun Than One
And honestly, having two yachts can sometimes be even more fun than trying to fit everyone onto one. One yacht might accommodate the families with children, while the other is home to the adults.
The early risers can have their peaceful morning while the night owls recover from whatever happened at the beach bar the night before.
Maybe half the group wants to snorkel first thing in the morning while everyone else wants a leisurely breakfast. One group might want to spend the afternoon paddleboarding and swimming while the other wants to head straight to a beach club.
You don't need 16 or 20 people agreeing on what to do every minute of every day. The yachts can separate for a few hours and meet again later.
You get the fun of traveling as one big group without having to spend every single moment together. And depending on your family or group dynamic, a little separation might actually be a feature rather than a drawback. Everyone can keep their drama on their own yacht and meet back up for cocktails later.
Choosing the Right Yachts Is the Most Important Part
The most important part of a tandem charter is choosing the right yachts. You don't simply find two yachts with enough beds and call it a day. Ideally, the yachts should be similar in size and cruising speed so one isn't constantly waiting for the other.
We also look at the overall level of luxury, crew structure, amenities, water toys and service style.
Unless it's intentional, you don't want half of your group stepping onto a brand-new luxury catamaran with a huge flybridge and three crew members while the other half realizes they're staying on a much older, smaller yacht with a completely different level of service. The experience should feel cohesive.
It also helps when the yachts are under the same management or have crews who already know one another and enjoy working together. But that's something we handle from our side.
We speak with the yacht managers and crews, look at the logistics and help determine which yachts are actually going to work well together, not simply which two happen to be available.
Who Stays on Which Yacht?
This is another part of tandem planning that deserves more thought than people initially realize. We work with you to think carefully about how to divide the group. Cabin requirements, couples, children, dietary needs, personalities and activity levels can all play a role in determining who should stay where.
Maybe all of the families with young children should be together. Maybe grandparents would prefer the quieter yacht. Maybe there are two families who naturally spend most of their time together.
Or maybe there are certain people who absolutely should not be sharing the same floating home for seven days. We can work with that too.
The goal is to create two groups that work well onboard while still making the overall trip feel like one vacation.
Your Yachts Don't Have to Be Together Every Second
Another advantage of a tandem charter is flexibility. Your yachts can follow the same general itinerary without literally traveling side by side every minute of the week.
If one group wants to sleep in while the other wants to get underway early, that's possible. If one group wants to snorkel and another wants to go shopping or head to a beach club, the yachts can separate and meet again later.
Weather, marina availability, anchoring conditions and captain recommendations may also affect exactly where each yacht goes. That's one of the advantages of having multiple yachts: you have options.
You are traveling together, but you don't have to operate like a tour group.
Flotilla Charters Work Around the World
While flotilla charters are a great solution for larger groups in destinations like the British Virgin Islands, they aren't limited to the BVI.
We can look at tandem and large-group charter options throughout destinations including:
- The British Virgin Islands
- The Bahamas
- Greece
- Italy
- Croatia
- Turkey
- The Caribbean
- And many other yacht charter destinations around the world
The right solution really depends on your group and where you want to go.
In some destinations, we may find one yacht certified to accommodate your entire group. In others, two yachts may make much more sense. And for particularly large groups, we can potentially create a flotilla of three or more yachts.
Sometimes it's one yacht. Sometimes it's two. And sometimes you bring your own little fleet.
Should You Book a Tandem Charter Early?
Yes.
Finding one great yacht for your dates is one thing. Finding two great yachts that are available for exactly the same dates, in the same destination, with compatible cruising speeds, cabin configurations, amenities, price points and service levels requires considerably more planning.
If the yachts already work together or are managed by the same company, even better.
The earlier we start looking, the more options we'll have to create a pairing that actually makes sense for your group rather than simply choosing whatever happens to be left. This can be particularly important if you're traveling during Christmas, New Year's, spring break or other high-demand charter periods.
How Does Gratuity Work on a Tandem Charter?
Remember that although you're taking one vacation, you're chartering two separate yachts with two separate crews.
Each yacht has its own captain, chef and crew providing service to the guests aboard that vessel. That means gratuity is generally handled separately for each yacht's crew rather than treating everyone as one combined crew.
It's another small logistical detail, but it's something we'll explain before your charter so everyone knows what to expect.
Is a Flotilla Charter Right for Your Group?
If you have more than 12 guests, don't assume a private yacht charter is off the table. And don't feel defeated if the destination you really want doesn't have a single yacht that can accommodate your entire group.
You don't necessarily need to leave anyone at home, move everyone into a resort or completely change destinations just to find one yacht with enough cabins.
With the right yachts and crews, a tandem charter gives you the shared experience of one vacation — with more space, more privacy, more flexibility and two yachts instead of one.
When it's planned properly, a tandem charter doesn't feel like your group has been split up. It feels like you brought your own private fleet on vacation.
Reach out to us at Sanderson Yachting and tell us how many guests you're bringing, where you want to go and what kind of experience you're looking for. We'll determine whether one high-capacity yacht, two yachts traveling in tandem or your own private flotilla makes the most sense and find the right yachts and crews to make it work.
